Hands
by Bohemian.Butterfly
Summary: Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn have a certain way that they like to communicate. It starts out innocent enough, but with her flirty nature and his charming attitude, it's bound to eventually lead to more than the occasional comforting touch of a hand between two friends. Maybe that's the direction it was destined to go from the start, even if that wasn't their intention.
1. Awestruck

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, this is going to be a series of drabbles based on Sharon and Andy and different ways in which they use their hands when they're together. This idea originally came about as a combination of that brief moment in Hindsight Pt. 3 where we saw Andy ever so briefly touch Sharon's back as he left the command center to confront a suspect with the rest of the team (and of course the hug clip that was released yesterday that will be in Hindsight Pt. 4) and the realization that Sharon and Andy are both people who seem to need and enjoy physical affection that has most often thus far been expressed by them using their hands in some way. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 1: Awestruck**

She'd volunteered to go to his daughter's wedding with him. To be a buffer between him and his family and Andy had to admit that she was doing a fabulous job at it. Since the evening had started, Sharon had managed to charm just about every member of his family. She seemed to be expertly skilled in this department, and for some reason that surprised him.

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised though. She had worked in Internal Affairs for the majority of her career. She'd dealt with difficult people on pretty much a daily basis during that time, including him. So, the more he thought about it, the more Andy figured it shouldn't be all that surprising that she could easily get along with his family for one evening. Maybe he wasn't feeling surprised at all though. Maybe it was something entirely different.

* * *

Towards the end of the evening, Andy had asked Sharon if she'd like to dance with him. She had agreed and as he led her onto the dance floor and put one hand on her side and his other hand in her hand, he realized his timing might not have been the best as Adele's _Make You Feel My Love_ began playing. The only thing he could think to do in that moment to cut the awkwardness of the situation was laugh.

"It seems I have horrible timing," Andy admitted.

Sharon chuckled at that before she said, "Possibly. It's fine though. We're both adults. Plus, it is a wedding. It's not like you can avoid love songs at a wedding."

"True," replied Andy as they continued to sway to the music.

"Tonight was fun," said Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

"It was. Thanks for tagging along and being my buffer. It made the night so much more bearable," Andy told her.

"Like I said, I like weddings. Plus, it's your daughter's wedding day, Andy. It's not like that's something that you can just miss. So, whatever I did to ease the awkwardness with your family and let you be here for your daughter, I was happy to do it," replied Sharon.

"Still. I appreciate it. You took time out of your life to help me out and you didn't have to do that. It means a lot," said Andy.

"Well, you saved me from a night in at my condo doing paperwork. So really, I should be thanking you," Sharon told him.

"Paperwork is the worst. I don't know how you deal with all of that plus manage to keep all of us in line," replied Andy.

"The beauty of being the boss I guess," said Sharon.

"Yeah," said Andy as he shook his head and the song ended.

* * *

After the wedding had ended, Andy had taken Sharon back to her condo before heading back to his place. He'd gotten out of his suit and showered before putting on a pair of navy blue sweats and an LAPD T-shirt. As he settled into bed, he realized just how long of a day it had really been. Between solving their current case during the day and attending Nicole's wedding that afternoon along with the reception in the evening, he realized how tired he should be feeling right now. He did feel fairly tired, but it was mixed with something else too. A feeling he had struggled to pinpoint earlier in the evening.

He was awestruck. He originally thought that he had been surprised by the fact Sharon got along so well with his family, but the truth was he was awestruck by her ease and grace the whole night. He was dumbfounded by the stark contrast between how she was at work and what he'd witnessed tonight. She was much more at ease and there was a softness to her that he didn't think he'd ever seen before. He was a brave enough man to admit to himself that this new side of Captain Sharon Raydor that he'd seen tonight intrigued him and he was interested to find out more about this side of her. The part that she seemed to keep tucked away from most people. Sharon Raydor, the woman who loves weddings and could light up a room without even trying. 

A/N: So, as I touched on in the author's note above, each chapter will feature a scene in which Sharon and Andy use their hands in some way, shape, or form. I started with Nicole's wedding because I feel like that's when things first began to change for Sharon and Andy. Where they went from being coworkers to friends and as we know, eventually more. In future chapters, some will be moments that were included in the show, some will be missing scenes, and then eventually I'll probably end up venturing into territory that hasn't been explored on the show yet. I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of this by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	2. Far From Over

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This chapter is a missing scene from the Season 2 episode, Return to Sender Pt.1. This is my take on what could've happened that night after Sharon sent Rusty to stay with Provenza until they caught the guy who tried to kill Rusty for Stroh. This one is a bit longer than the last chapter, but I'm sure nobody will mind that. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 2: Far From Over**

As Sharon pulled up in front of Andy's house that night, she wasn't quite sure why she'd driven there. Or rather, she knew why, but now that she was there, she began to consider that it might have been a good idea to call him first rather than just showing up at his door with her protective detail and an overnight bag in her hand.

So, despite already being parked in front of his house, Sharon pulled out her phone and dialed Andy's number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey," said Andy.

With a shaky voice, Sharon said, "Hey. Listen, I know I should have called first, but I'm sitting outside your house right now."

Right after she said this, Andy opened his front door and began walking towards Sharon's car. Her security detail emerged from their vehicle and Andy indicated to them that it was okay for them to do a sweep of his house and the perimeter before he made his way over to Sharon's car. He opened the driver's side door and knelt down next to Sharon.

"I'm sorry for barging in on you like this. I just couldn't stay there. It felt so empty without Rusty there," said Sharon before she broke down and tears began to stream down her face.

At that moment, Andy grabbed her hands and pulled her up and out of the car before pulling her towards him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her while rubbing circles along her upper back in an attempt to comfort her.

In all honesty, Andy was taken aback by the scene before him. He'd seen Sharon on the verge of tears before, but never had he witnessed her actually crying, let alone anything like this. It was understandable though. Rusty was for all intents and purposes her son and she'd been forced to send her son away tonight in order to protect him. Andy knew that had to be difficult for her, but he also knew that there was probably very little he could say or do that would ease the pain Sharon was feeling right now. He decided that the best thing he could do for her right now was to be a good friend to her and hold her as she cried.

A couple minutes later, the two officers assigned to Sharon's security detail emerged from Andy's house. As they walked past him, Andy told them, "I've got it from here guys. If Assistant Chief Taylor has an issue with that, I'll take the heat for it."

"But sir-" one of the officers began to protest before Andy cut him off.

"Listen, I realize you guys have orders to stay with her, but she'll be fine. She'll still have police protection with her at all times. Think of it as me relieving you from duty after a long shift," Andy told them.

"Ma'am?" The other officer questioned Sharon.

"Go home guys. I'll be fine," Sharon told them.

It took a few moments, but the two officers finally accepted the situation and walked back towards their unmarked car before driving off.

"You wanna go inside?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. Let me just grab my stuff," Sharon told him as she leaned into the car to grab her purse and overnight bag.

"Here, let me take your bag," Andy told her as he grabbed Sharon's overnight bag from her as they headed towards Andy's house.

* * *

Once they were inside the house, Andy set Sharon's overnight bag on a chair before making his way towards the kitchen. Sharon took a seat on one of the barstools in front of the kitchen island as Andy retrieved two mugs from the cabinet. He made his way over to the fridge and grabbed some milk before pouring some into each mug and sticking them in the microwave.

After he set the timer, Andy turned around and said, "Not exactly the strongest stuff in the world, but it'll do."

His comment caused Sharon to smile slightly and for that he was grateful.

"You know, when I was a kid, my mom used to make me hot chocolate whenever I had a bad day," Sharon commented.

"Huh. Did it work?" Andy asked.

"Usually. Then when I was a teenager, she used to make it for me whenever a guy broke my heart," said Sharon.

"Looks like this was a good idea, then," said Andy.

"Yeah," replied Sharon as Andy took the two mugs out of the microwave and poured a packet of hot chocolate mix into each before stirring it in and then handing one of them to Sharon.

"Thanks," said Sharon as she smiled weakly at him.

"No problem. So, do you wanna talk about it?" Andy asked as he grabbed his mug and sat on the barstool next to Sharon.

"He was pretty upset about having to leave. Can't say I blame him, really," said Sharon.

"Yeah. You're doing it to protect him though. I'm sure he knows that," replied Andy.

"Yeah. Doesn't make it any easier though," said Sharon.

"No, it doesn't. It makes you a good mom though," said Andy.

Sharon smiled weakly at him before she said, "Really? Cause right now I feel like crap about it."

"Well, for whatever its worth, I think you made the right decision. You're priority is to keep Rusty safe and you're doing that. It may not have been the easiest decision, but it was certainly the right one. At least you care enough to protect him from danger. As you know, there are plenty of parents out there who could care less about their child's safety. So, in terms of mothers, I think Rusty hit the jackpot being placed with you," said Andy.

"I did too. He's a great kid and he deserves the best that life can offer. Especially considering how difficult his life was in the past," replied Sharon.

"Yeah. He's been through a lot in his young life. Rusty's strong though. He'll be okay," Andy told her.

"Yeah. I'm probably more of a wreck right now than he is," Sharon admitted.

"You're his mom, Sharon. Worrying about him pretty much comes with the territory. You just better hope Provenza doesn't corrupt Rusty too much while he's staying there," Andy joked.

"I think it's a little late for that. Between you and Provenza, he never stood a chance," Sharon joked.

"Hey! What did I do? I'll have you know I'm the responsible one," Andy told her.

"Well, that's half true," Sharon told him.

"What are you talking about?" Andy asked her.

"Over the years, you have become the responsible one...except when you and Provenza get together. Why do you think I keep a bottle of aspirin in my top desk drawer?" Sharon asked him.

"I always thought that was there for the migraines you always seem to get after talking to Chief Taylor," replied Andy.

"Touché, That too," said Sharon.

* * *

Sharon and Andy talked for a while longer before Andy began to notice that Sharon seemed to be getting tired.

"Come on. You should get some sleep. I'll bring your stuff into the guest room," said Andy as he got up from the barstool and began walking back towards the living room.

A moment later, Sharon got up and followed Andy as he began to make his way down the hall towards the guest room.

As Andy walked into the guest bedroom and set Sharon's bag on the bed, he said, "As you know, the bathroom's across the hall. There are extra towels in the linen closet down the hall if you need them in the morning and there are also some extra blankets in there if you get cold."

"Andy, thank you. For letting me stay here tonight and for trying to cheer me up. You're a great friend. Not a lot of people would let their friend barge in on them and let them stay the night because they didn't want to be alone in their empty house," Sharon told him.

"You didn't barge in, Sharon. Even if you had, I wasn't doing anything important anyways. Just my usual date with leftovers and some pointless, mind numbing TV," replied Andy.

"Still, I appreciate it," said Sharon as she momentarily rubbed her hand along Andy's upper arm.

"No problem. Did FID return your gun to you?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah, it's in my purse. They got it back to me pretty quickly since they found all three bullets at the scene," Sharon told him.

"Good. I'm glad to see they recognized the need for you to have your service weapon back as soon as possible. Otherwise, I was gonna give you by backup weapon. That dirtbag is still out there somewhere and who knows what he's capable of doing next. Just do me one favor?" Andy asked.

"What's that?" Sharon asked him.

"Please try not to confront unruly dirtbags like that without back up again. You kind of scared the crap out of me there for a minute," said Andy as his hand lightly brushed against Sharon's upper arm for a moment.

"I'll see what I can do. I can't make any promises though. Especially when it comes to the safety of one of my children," Sharon told him.

"Why do you think I asked you to try not to confront unruly suspects instead of not to do it at all? I'm not about to come between a mama bear and her cubs. I can be a bit reckless from time to time, but I don't have a death wish," said Andy.

"Glad to hear it. You can't leave me down one Lieutenant and duck out on our bimonthly dinner plans. That would just be rude," Sharon told him.

"Well, we can't have that happening now, can we?" Andy asked.

"No, we can't. Goodnight, Andy," said Sharon.

"Goodnight, Sharon," replied Andy as he turned around in the doorway and began making his way up the hall towards his bedroom.

Once he walked into his room, he let out a sigh of both relief and frustration as he shut the lights off and fell into his bed. He was glad that both her and Rusty were safe, but he also knew that this was far from over. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	3. Something's Different

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This chapter is a missing scene from the Season 3 episode, Flight Risk. It's based on this line that Andy says while standing with Sharon in her office as she is preparing to go do a very difficult death notification:

 _I'll wait. In case you need me._ – Andy Flynn (3x1: Flight Risk)

 **Chapter 3: Something's Different**

She'd just finished delivering one of the most difficult notifications of her career thus far. She'd never get used to that. Especially when it involved having to tell a mother that her children were dead. No matter how many death notifications she delivered, it never seemed to get any easier. The day that it did would be the day she'd turn in her papers to retire.

As she looked out the window of her office and into the murder room, she saw Andy sitting at his desk with his feet propped up. She didn't know why, but it still kind of surprised her that he was still there. He had told her he'd wait for her in case she needed him after the notification. So, she figured he was simply making good on that promise. He usually did and that's what made him a great friend. He was always there for her when she needed him.

So, she quickly gathered her purse and made her way out into the murder room. She stopped once she reached the side of Andy's desk.

"Hey. How'd it go?" Andy asked her.

Sharon shook her head sadly before she said, "Not here."

"Okay. How about I pick up some food and I'll meet you at your place in a half hour or so," Andy suggested as he stood up to grab his jacket off the back of his chair.

"Okay," said Sharon as she gave him a half hearted smile.

* * *

About forty minutes later, there was a knock at the door to Sharon's condo. Rusty, knowing Sharon was out on the balcony and probably didn't hear it, went to answer the door. He opened it and saw Andy standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Andy," said Rusty.

"Hey, kid. Where's your mom?" Andy asked him.

"She's out on the balcony. I think she's on the phone with Emily. Do you want me to get her for you?" Rusty asked.

"No, not yet. Let her finish her call first," Andy told him.

"Okay. Why don't you come in," Rusty told him noticing the bag of food in his hand.

"Thanks. Did you eat yet? There's enough food in here if you want some," Andy told him as he went to set the bag on the counter in the kitchen.

"Thanks, but I just ate a little while ago. I wasn't sure what time Sharon would be home with the case and all. What's up with that anyway? She seemed a little off when she got home," said Rusty.

"Tough case. Don't worry. She'll be okay. She just needs to decompress and wrap her head around it, that's all," Andy told him.

"Which explains why you brought food," replied Rusty as he grabbed plates and silverware and set them on the counter next to the food Andy had brought.

"Thanks. Chalk it up to the Italian in me. In my family, whenever somebody would have a bad day, people would always bring food over," said Andy.

"So, basically you're an Italian grandmother," Rusty joked.

"I'll admit, that was pretty good. I'd watch it if I were you though," Andy told him.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got homework to do. Enjoy whatever it is you've got in that bag," Rusty told him as he walked down the hall towards his room.

* * *

After Rusty disappeared into his room, Andy opened Sharon's fridge to see what kind of beverages she had to drink. He found a pitcher of pink lemonade and set it on the counter next to the plates. He then took something out of the bag on the counter and placed it in the fridge before closing it. He grabbed a couple glasses and set those on the counter as well. He decided he would take the food and lemonade out onto the balcony first.

As Andy walked out on the balcony, Sharon could hear footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Andy with a bag in one hand and a pitcher in the other. He held up the bag so that she could see the name on the front of it.

As she put her hand over the phone she smiled at him as she said, "Moretti's. My favorite."

Andy smiled at that before he set the stuff on the table and made his way back into the condo.

Meanwhile, as Andy went back inside to grab the plates and glasses, Sharon told Emily, "Listen sweetheart, I gotta go. Andy just got here and he brought dinner. I'll talk to you again soon though. I love you."

A moment later, Sharon set her phone down and was about to go find Andy when she turned around to see him making his way back out onto the balcony.

She stood up to help him when he said, "Sit. I've got it."

"Andy, this is great. Thank you," Sharon told him as he sat down and handed her a plate, glass, and silverware.

"No problem. How's Emily?" Andy asked her.

"She's good. Busy with rehearsals, but good," replied Sharon as she scooped some pasta onto her plate.

"And you?" Andy asked, looking at her seriously.

Sharon looked away from his gaze for a moment before she looked back at him.

"You know, having emotions makes this job so much more difficult," Sharon told him as her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Yeah, it does. It's what makes us human though. If we didn't have those emotions or feelings, we'd be the ones on the other side of a jail cell," Andy told her as he momentarily patted the top of her hand with his own.

"Yeah. I guess you're right," replied Sharon.

"What you can stop doing though is beating yourself up about it. You made the right call today, Sharon. However terrible it may sound, that was the only way we were going to get to the truth about what happened. Even if you had told that mother the truth from the beginning, it wouldn't have changed what happened to her children. Unspeakable evil exists in this world. We encounter it at work almost every day. The only thing we can do to fight that is to get to the truth and make sure those people pay for what they've done. To get justice for the victims. We did that today. You did that today. So, the way I see it, you did exactly what you were supposed to do," Andy told her.

"Have I mentioned lately how well you know me?" Sharon asked him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never met you before in my life," Andy replied sarcastically.

"Don't think I didn't notice that allusion to the rules you stuck in there at the end," Sharon told him.

"What can I say? You've brought me over to the dark side," said Andy.

* * *

Sharon and Andy sat out on the balcony and talked for a while before Sharon asked him, "Do you want some coffee? I was gonna make some tea anyways."

"Sure. That reminds me. I left you a surprise in the fridge," Andy told her.

"What?" Sharon asked as she got up and headed into the kitchen with Andy following closely behind her.

Sharon opened the fridge and gasped before she turned around and unexpectedly hugged Andy.

"Wow. Not exactly the reaction I was expecting, but okay. It's just dessert, Sharon," Andy told her before turning to grab two small plates out of the cabinet.

"It's not just dessert, Andy. It's chocolate cheesecake. Didn't anybody ever tell you that chocolate makes everything better?" Sharon asked him as she began brewing the coffee and went about making her tea.

"Maybe once or twice," replied Andy as he smirked at Sharon.

"Well, in that case, you've just earned an award for being the best friend ever," Sharon told him.

"Oh. So, I've been upgraded?" Andy asked her.

"As you know, I don't have a ton of friends and none that would bring me pasta and chocolate cheesecake and help shut down the pity party I was having earlier. So, I guess you could say that makes you the best friend I've got," Sharon told him before she stuck her mug in the microwave.

Andy smiled at that before he said, "I feel the same way. I mean you don't see anybody else helping me fix things with my family."

Sharon smiled at Andy before she removed her mug from the microwave and stuck an oolong tea bag in it as Andy grabbed his mug and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Noticing the slightly awkward silence between them, Andy spoke up and asked, "How about some of that chocolate cheesecake?"

"Yeah," replied Sharon as she grabbed a knife and handed it to Andy, their hands momentarily brushing during the handoff.

Sharon quickly removed her hand from the handle of the knife as she went about gathering two forks from the drawer next to her.

She couldn't quite explain it, but Sharon knew there was definitely something hanging in the air between them in this small space. Something different. It wasn't exactly bad, it was just different.

She decided to put it in the back of her mind for now as she walked over to the dining room table and sat down, Andy distractedly following her and doing the same a moment later.

Yes. Something was definitely different and she wasn't sure how long they would be able to ignore that fact.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	4. Beautiful Mess

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This chapter is a missing scene from the Season 3 episode, Letting It Go (3x4). There was a scene in this episode where Sharon was talking to Andy about the prescription Sharon Beck asked Rusty to fill for her and Andy gives her advice on the situation. My theory is that this wasn't the first time that's happened and that throughout this whole situation with Rusty's biological mother, Sharon often asked for Andy's advice since, as a recovering alcoholic, he has a unique perspective on such matters.

 **Chapter 4: Beautiful Mess**

As Sharon was getting ready for bed that night, she decided to send Andy a text to update him on what had happened with Sharon Beck that night. Throughout this whole situation with Rusty's biological mother, Sharon had often sought out Andy's advice in an effort to make sure she was doing right by Rusty. At the end of the day, she was only able to fully understand one side of this very complicated issue and she appreciated getting Andy's take on things as someone who had been on the other side of things before. She had hoped that something would click with Rusty's biological mother in rehab and that she'd want to make an effort to stay sober, but apparently she wasn't ready to do that yet. Her text read:

 _Sorry. I know it's late. You're probably asleep already and won't even get this until the morning, but I wanted to let you know that Sharon Beck decided to leave Signal Hill tonight. She called Rusty about an hour ago trying to get him to give her a ride. Strangely, I'm simultaneously disappointed and proud at the same time. Disappointed in her and the fact that she's putting Rusty through all of this, but proud of him for having the courage to stand up and tell her that he can't help her until she helps herself. Speaking from personal experience, that's not an easy thing to do._

* * *

About thirty minutes later, as Sharon was lying in bed tossing and turning, she was surprised to hear her phone ring. She grabbed it off the nightstand and picked it up when she saw it was Andy.

"Please tell me we don't have to roll out for a case right now," said Sharon.

"Nope. I didn't wake you, did I?" Andy asked.

"No. Just me tossing and turning trying to shut my brain off," Sharon told him.

"I thought so. Do you wanna talk about it?" Andy asked her, referring to the whole Sharon Beck situation.

"Might as well since it seems like sleep is eluding me tonight. Speaking of which, why on earth are you even awake right now? It's after 1am," Sharon pointed out.

"I guess sleep was eluding me tonight too. Now, why don't you hang up the phone and come let me in so we can talk about this," said Andy.

"Wait. You're here?" Sharon asked him confusedly.

"Yeah. I'm standing outside your door right now," replied Andy.

"I don't understand. It's after 1am. How did you even know I'd still be awake?" Sharon asked him as she slipped on her robe and headed towards her front door

"I like to think I know you pretty well by now. For instance, when there's an issue, particularly when it concerns your kids, like every good mother, you worry about them," said Andy before Sharon opened the front door and he ended the call.

"Get in here," said Sharon as she shook her head at him.

Andy walked into the condo and Sharon shut and locked the door behind him before she asked, "You want something to drink?"

"Sure. Water's fine," he told her as he pulled out one of the bar stools and sat down.

Sharon grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and put it on the counter in front of Andy before filling a mug with water and sticking it in the microwave.

"So, what's keeping you up this late?" Andy asked her.

"I don't know. I mean I know at this point I don't have much to worry about when it comes to this Sharon Beck situation. For now, she's in the wind and Rusty had made it clear to her that he's not willing to help her unless she's willing to help herself," said Sharon.

"You wanna know what I think?" Andy asked her.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Sharon joked as she took her mug out of the microwave and put a hibiscus tea bag in it.

"Partially, I guess. Anyways, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but just hear me out on this. I think what's bugging you is that this whole situation with Sharon Beck is bringing back some painful memories for you about Jack and the pain he's caused you and your children over the years with his refusal to get sober. That's a whole lot of pain to carry around and if my instincts are correct, you probably don't talk about that pain very much because you're too busy trying to be there and be strong for everyone else," said Andy.

"It's truly scary how you do that sometimes. You know that, right?" Sharon asked him.

"What?" Andy asked her.

"How you seem to know what's on my mind before I even say it," Sharon explained before she walked out of the kitchen and sat on one of the bar stools at the other end of the counter.

"Well, I'd like to say it's all due to my excellent powers of perception, but honestly the last sentence of your text message was a dead giveaway," Andy told her.

"Was I that obvious?" Sharon asked him before she took a sip of her tea.

"Not really. I just know you well enough at this point to read between the lines of what you're saying," replied Andy.

Sharon wasn't sure why, but she smiled at that. Well, she had a feeling she knew why, but she wasn't quite ready to address all of that yet. So, she decided to answer the question that Andy hadn't pressured her to answer.

"You're right, you know. About what's been bugging me. Seeing Rusty having to go through that breaks my heart. Mostly because I've gone through the same thing with Jack. You hold out this hope that this person might finally get the help that they so desperately need. That they might finally realize that they're slowly killing themselves and in the process emotionally scarring their family. What you eventually come to understand though is that there comes a point where you have to realize that there's nothing more you can do for them. It's a disease and just because they insist on continuing to slowly kill themselves doesn't mean that you have to do the same trying to help someone who doesn't want your help. You realize that the only person that can help them is them and the only thing you can do is try to minimize the impact it has on you and your children," said Sharon as she let out a shaky breath.

Andy was truly surprised with how vulnerable Sharon was being in front of him. It wasn't like it had never happened before. He'd seen her vulnerable from time to time. Most notably when she'd driven over to his house in the middle of the night about four months ago and cried in his arms. This was different though, rawer somehow. He hadn't pressured her to answer his question, yet here she was bearing a piece of her soul to him.

He wasn't quite sure how to react to what had just happened, so he decided to rub his thumb along the top of Sharon's hand before he said, "I'm sure that wasn't easy for you. It really does help to talk about it though. Even if it feels like the pain could kill you. Keeping it all locked up inside isn't any better for you," Andy told her.

"Yeah. I'm just afraid that if I start, the tears will never stop coming," said Sharon as she began to cry.

In that moment, Andy's instincts took over and he quickly slid himself onto the stool next to Sharon as he wrapped his arms around her as she cried.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Sharon lifted her head from Andy's shoulder and began wiping her eyes as she looked at him and said, "Oh god. Look at me. I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess. Just a woman who has gone through a lot of pain in the past and needed to release some of the emotion that she's held in for far too long," replied Andy.

The truth was that even though she'd just finished crying and thought she was a mess, Andy didn't think he'd ever seen her look more beautiful. That's what he'd really wanted to say. It was difficult to explain, but there was something truly beautiful about what had happened tonight. She'd been more vulnerable with him than she'd ever been before and to him there was a certain beauty in that. Not to mention the fact that he knew how difficult it was for her to show that part of herself to people. The part that wasn't always perfectly put together. Yet, for some reason she'd chosen to share that part of herself with him tonight.

If she insisted on calling herself a mess, Andy had to admit it was the most beautiful mess he'd ever seen. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	5. Remains to be Seen

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This chapter is a missing scene to the season 3 episode, Jane Doe #38 (3x6). I feel like there was so much going on in this episode that it pretty much demanded a conversation. Between Jack showing up to Andy flying off the handle at people to the looks Sharon and Andy were giving each other in the murder room to that shoulder bump Sharon gave Andy during the funeral. Anyways, this is what I think happened that night after everyone went home. 

**Chapter 5: Remains to be Seen**

After everybody completed their paperwork that night, Sharon had sent everyone home. She figured all of them could use a break after their latest case, especially Andy. If she was being honest, she was worried about him. She could tell that this case had really affected him. He'd lost his temper with people a couple of times during the case and in general just seemed extra bothered by the whole thing. Of course, she couldn't really blame him. If it was anything like the emotions that gripped her whenever they investigated a case involving a child, she knew there were probably a thousand different things running through his head. Which is why Sharon had ended up sitting on Andy's porch with a pizza next to her as she waited for him to get home.

After she'd sent everyone home, Sharon had headed home to change into something more casual before she stopped to get a pizza and then drove over to Andy's house. When she had arrived about fifteen minutes ago, he hadn't been home. She had a pretty good idea of where he was though and figured he wouldn't be too much longer. So, she decided to sit and wait.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Andy pulled into his driveway. As he killed the engine and got out of his car, he was surprised to see Sharon sitting on his front porch.

"Hey," said Andy.

"Hey," replied Sharon

"What are you doing here?" Andy asked Sharon curiously.

"I brought dinner. I figured you could use a friend after a case like this one," said Sharon as she stood up and grabbed the pizza box.

Andy smiled at Sharon before he said, "I could. I hope you weren't waiting out here too long."

"Not too long. Maybe twenty minutes or so," replied Sharon as she smiled back at Andy.

"That's a pretty long time to wait. I'm sorry," Andy told her.

"Don't apologize, Andy. I didn't call before I came over because I knew you were probably at a meeting and would be home sooner or later. Besides, I didn't mind waiting. I wanted to make sure you were okay after the case," said Sharon.

"Was I that obvious about it?" Andy asked in reference to the case bothering him.

"Well…you did lose your temper a couple times there. So, I'd say it was pretty obvious that something was bothering you. Not that I can really blame you. In fact, I'd be more worried if it didn't bother you," said Sharon.

"Yeah. Come on in," said Andy as he unlocked and opened his front door.

Sharon walked in and set the pizza box on the counter before she turned around to grab a couple plates out of one of Andy's cabinets.

"Do you mind if I go change real quick? I need to get out of this suit," said Andy.

"Go ahead. I'll grab us something to drink and meet you in the living room," replied Sharon.

"Okay. I'll be out in a minute," said Andy before he walked down the hall and into the master bedroom to change.

Meanwhile, Sharon opened the fridge to survey their drink options. There were a few different choices, but Sharon decided to grab a can of 7up for each of them and closed the fridge before she set the plates and the soda on top of the pizza box and headed into the living room. She set everything on the coffee table and proceeded to grab two coasters to set their 7up cans on before she set a plate next to both sides of the pizza box. It was then that Sharon heard Andy walking down the hallway towards the living room. He had changed out of his suit and was wearing black basketball shorts and a blue Dodgers T-shirt.

As he walked around the coffee table and took a seat on the couch, Andy smiled at Sharon before he said, "Thanks for all of this. I probably would've ended up climbing the walls if you hadn't come over."

"I was worried about you," Sharon told Andy.

Andy didn't know why, but Sharon's admission took him by surprise. He reached over and reassuringly patted Sharon's arm with his hand for a moment before he said, "I'm okay. I just needed to get my head on straight about it."

Sharon smiled at him and set a piece of pizza on her plate before she said, "Good. I can't be down a friend and a lieutenant."

Andy smiled back at her before he said, "Well we certainly can't have that happening."

"No. Hey, you wanna hear something amusing?" Sharon asked Andy.

"Sure," Andy replied as he grabbed a piece of pizza out of the box.

"I basically served Jack with divorce papers yesterday," said Sharon.

"I know," replied Andy.

"What? How?" Sharon asked Andy confusedly.

"Provenza saw them sitting on your desk when the three of us were Skyping with that lady from the homeless shelter yesterday afternoon," said Andy.

"Oh. Why didn't you say anything?" Sharon asked him.

"I figured it was none of my business and if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me," replied Andy.

"You're a good guy, Andy. Unlike someone else I know," said Sharon.

Figuring she was referencing Jack, Andy asked, "What did that asshole do now?"

"Well, I haven't told very many people about this yet, but I'm thinking about adopting Rusty," said Sharon as her face broke out into a smile.

"That's great Sharon!" exclaimed Andy.

"Yeah, except I wanted to be the first one to talk to Rusty about it," said Sharon as her face took on an annoyed expression.

"He didn't," said Andy in reference to Jack.

"Oh, he did. When he stopped by yesterday, I gave him two options. He could adopt Rusty with me or he could sign divorce papers," Sharon told Andy.

"Let me guess. He wasn't entirely enthused about either scenario," said Andy.

"No. He tried to talk his way out of it like he always does. Said that he should be compensated for all the bullshit he'd have to deal with if he and I adopted Rusty," Sharon continued.

"Really? What an asshole," said Andy as he rolled his eyes.

"So, I told him that if he didn't like the idea of adopting Rusty then he should just sign the divorce papers now," Sharon explained.

"I bet he took that well," replied Andy.

"Yeah. He tried telling me that if we divorced that he was entitled to half my pension and half of my savings," said Sharon.

"Wow. He's a real piece of work, isn't he," said Andy.

"Yeah. I put him in his place though. Told him he wasn't getting a dime from me and that if he wanted to fight that he'd find out exactly what the courts think of child abandonment and not paying child support," said Sharon.

"Oh, man. I wish I could've seen his face when you told him that," replied Andy.

"It was pretty amusing. Until he caught Rusty in the hallway of the PAB and spilled the beans about the whole adoption thing while also trying to pump him for information about my personal life," said Sharon.

"Seriously? He's such an ass. I'm sure you're all too eager to divorce him now," said Andy.

"To say the least. Although, I'm not quite sure why it took me this long to get to that point," said Sharon with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

As Andy ran his thumb along the top of Sharon's hand he said, "Why doesn't really matter at this point. The important thing is you're standing up and saying enough is enough."

"Yeah," replied Sharon as she looked up and smiled at him.

"You wanna stay for a while and watch a movie?" Andy asked her.

"Sure," said Sharon as Andy turned on the TV and switched on Netflix so they could choose a movie to watch.

Once again, Sharon got the same feeling that she'd gotten the night her and Andy were in her kitchen getting chocolate cheesecake after dinner. The feeling that something was different between them. Maybe it was the ease with which she was able to be her complete self around him. Or maybe it was the way he rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand when he wanted to comfort or reassure her. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the way they smiled and held each other's gaze just a little too long. Whatever it was, Sharon knew she enjoyed being around Andy. What all of that meant exactly remained to be seen. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	6. A Good Day

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This chapter is a missing scene from September 2014. Right before they all head to The Nutcracker, when trying to clarify things for Nicole about Sharon and Andy and their "not dating" relationship, Rusty mentions, "Then there was that Dodger game in September…" This chapter takes place during the Dodger game that Sharon and Andy apparently went to in September that we never got to see. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 6: A Good Day**

It was a routine day off for Sharon. She was catching up on laundry this morning and was binge watching while she was waiting for the dryer to go off. They had solved and finished up the paperwork on their latest case early the previous evening and Chief Taylor had given the team the entire weekend off barring no major crimes happened. As Sharon sat there watching, her phone began ringing. She looked at it and saw it was Andy and picked it up.

"We better not have caught another case already. I was sitting here binge watching The West Wing," said Sharon as she answered the phone.

"Nope. I was just wondering what your plans were for the afternoon. Besides watching The West Wing," said Andy.

"Not much. Why?" Sharon asked him.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go to a Dodger game with me this afternoon," replied Andy.

"Okay…but don't you and Provenza usually go to the games together?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, but he called me a little while ago and cancelled on me. Said he had to go to one of his grandkids birthday parties or something," replied Andy.

"Seems like something he probably knew about in advance," Sharon commented.

"Yeah, probably. The old dinosaur probably forgot all about it. Anyways, now I have an extra ticket and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me," said Andy.

"Sure. It been a long time since I've been to a Dodger game," replied Sharon.

"Define a long time," asked Andy.

"Probably not since Ricky and Emily were teenagers," replied Sharon.

"Well then, we're definitely fixing that situation now," said Andy jokingly.

"Apparently. What time should I come over?" Sharon asked him.

"Let's see. It's about 10:30am right now. How about you come over around 2:30pm and we can head to the stadium," said Andy.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then," replied Sharon.

"Okay. Bye," said Andy.

"Bye," said Sharon before they hung up.

As Sharon got up from the couch, she headed down the hall towards her room and into her walk in closet to figure out what she was going to wear. After perusing her closet and nixing a few of the outfits she had chosen, she stopped and began questioning why she was so concerned about what she was going to wear. They were just going to a baseball game. It's not like it was some formal event where she had to look super put together. Then another thought occurred to her. One that had to do with something she'd been trying to push to the back of her mind for a while now. What if it wasn't where she was going that had her preoccupied with her outfit choice? What if her preoccupation had more to do with who she was going to the Dodger game with? Sure, she enjoyed Andy's company, but was there something more to it than that? For now, she settled on maybe as her answer to that question. She wasn't necessarily avoiding giving a definitive yes or no answer to her own question. There were simply a few things that needed to be taken care of before she could begin to even consider that possibility. For one, she wasn't divorced yet, and although she owed Jack absolutely nothing at this point, Sharon knew it wouldn't be right to begin any sort of romantic relationship with Andy while she was still technically married. Not only would she not feel right about it for moral reasons, but it also wouldn't be fair to Andy either. So, for now, she settled on maybe, and a few minutes later, decided on the perfect outfit for a day at Dodger Stadium.

* * *

Around 2:30 that afternoon, Sharon pulled up in front of Andy's house. She had chosen to wear light wash boyfriend jeans, a cobalt blue half sleeve popover blouse, and low top white converse. It was a casual outfit for a casual day at Dodger Stadium and if certain parts of her outfit happened to accentuate certain assets she happened to possess, well that was just a bonus.

As Sharon got out of her car and made her way towards Andy's front door, she couldn't help but smile. She decided not to read too much into it for the moment though and rang Andy's doorbell. A minute later, Andy opened the door and smiled when he saw how excited Sharon seemed about going to the game.

"Well, someone's excited," said Andy.

"You know me and my sense of occasion," replied Sharon.

"I do. Come on in," said Andy as he moved aside to let Sharon inside.

Once Sharon was inside, Andy closed the door before he said, "I just gotta grab my hat and the tickets and then we can go."

"Take your time," Sharon told him as he walked down the hall towards his bedroom to get his hat and the tickets.

A minute later, Andy returned to the living room wearing his Dodgers hat and had his keys and the tickets in hand. Sharon couldn't help but smile at him.

"What?" Andy asked her confusedly.

"I was just thinking about how I don't think I've ever seen you wear a baseball cap before or any kind of hat for that matter," Sharon told him.

"I could say the same about you wearing sneakers. In fact, I wasn't even sure you owned a pair until right now," replied Andy.

"I'll have you know I own three pairs. One fashionable pair, a pair for the gym, and these for casual days like today. Oh, and by the way, I like the hat. It suits you," Sharon told Andy.

"So do the shoes. I like this new casual side of Sharon Raydor," replied Andy.

Sharon looked away for a moment and tried not to smile before her eyes returned to Andy and she asked, "Are we taking your car or mine?"

"We can take mine. After all, you did drive all the way over here," said Andy.

"It took me fifteen minutes to get over here. That's hardly a lengthy drive. Especially by LA standards," replied Sharon.

"Still. You made the effort to drive all the way over here on your day off. I don't mind driving the rest of the way there," said Andy.

"Okay. Let's go," said Sharon as she smiled at Andy before opening his front door and stepping out onto the porch to wait for him while he locked the door.

* * *

Once they got to Dodger Stadium, they each got some food and a soft drink. They had both chosen to get Dodger dogs, although Andy's was of course a veggie dog because of him being a vegetarian. Once they got their hot dogs and beverages, they found their seats and waited for the game to start.

For a moment, Andy thought back to their earlier conversation before they had left his house to head to the stadium. He could be totally off base here, but he felt like there had been a moment after he walked back into the living room where Sharon might have been flirting with him and he might have flirted back. It was difficult to tell if that's what had actually happened though because the flirting or whatever it was they'd been doing earlier had been pretty subtle. More like two kids on the playground who insisted on playfullyarguing back and forth because they didn't want to admit that they actually liked each other. If he was being honest, he liked Sharon and he liked spending time with her. They'd grown closer in the last year or so and had become great friends. Could that friendship slowly be growing into something more? Whatever the answer to that question was, he was certain of two things. One, she was still married and even though she was currently in the process of divorcing Jack, Andy was not foolish enough to get romantically involved with a married woman. A little harmless flirting maybe, but there was still a line there that he wouldn't cross and was positive Sharon wouldn't either. Then there was the small fact that he was pretty sure he had feelings for his best friend. Feelings that extended beyond friendship. There had been a few instances that suggested this might be the case, but he had promptly pushed them to the back of his mind and insisted that he and Sharon were just friends. Now, it seemed more difficult to ignore some of those signs. They seemed to be spending more and more of their off time together, whether it was going out to dinner or a movie or for coffee on the weekend and now it seemed that he had invited Sharon to go to a baseball game with him. Lines were definitely being blurred at this point, but he decided not to question it or read too much more into it at this point. He decided to adopt the motto that whatever happens, happens and see where it lead.

Sharon could see Andy was deep in thought and said, "Earth to Andy."

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Andy asked her.

"Nothing. I lost you for a minute there. Where'd you go?" Sharon asked him

"Nowhere important. Just thinking about how it's kind of bad that my dinosaur of a partner nearly forgot his own grandson's birthday," replied Andy.

"That is pretty strange. Maybe he waited until the last minute to tell you because he didn't want to disappoint you," Sharon suggested.

"Maybe. I would've understood though. It's a family thing. Family stuff kind of takes priority over going to a baseball game with your partner," said Andy.

"Yeah. Hey, maybe it all turned out for the best though. Lieutenant Provenza gets to go to his grandson's birthday party and we get to spend the afternoon together watching the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks," said Sharon.

"Yeah," replied Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

Sharon smiled back at Andy for a moment before they both awkwardly turned their heads away from one another and then turned their attention back to the field where the game was about to begin.

Sharon internally chastised herself for so enthusiastically returning the smile Andy had just given her. She probably looked like a damn idiot to him. Not to mention the fact that the last thing she wanted to do was give Andy the wrong idea about what may or may not be happening between them. Hell, she wasn't even 100% sure what was happening between then. What she did know though was that she enjoyed spending time with Andy and she enjoyed how he always knew what to say to cheer her up and how the touch of his hand on top of her hand or along her arm provided her with a sense of comfort and security. More recently though, she had also been enjoying the playful lighthearted way that they would banter back and forth during normal conversation and if she was being honest, she wasn't sure she wanted that to stop. Was she playing with fire? Maybe, but maybe a little adventure was just what she needed at this point in her life.

* * *

About halfway through the game, Andy went to go get a refill of his soda. He'd asked Sharon if she wanted him to get a refill for her as well, but she had politely let him know that her cup was still half full. He had told her he'd be back soon. That had been about twenty five minutes ago and Sharon was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long when she saw him walking down the steps toward their seats with his soda in one hand and a Dodger team shop bag in the other hand.

Once Andy arrived back at their seats, Sharon said, "I should have known."

"Known what?" Andy asked confusedly.

"You in a Dodgers team shop is like me in a mall. So, what did you buy yourself this time?" Sharon asked him amusedly.

Andy laughed amusedly before he lightheartedly said, "Must be where all those fancy shoes come from."

"Maybe," replied Sharon as she cracked a smile at Andy.

"Oh, and for the record, I didn't get myself anything. It's for you," said Andy as he handed Sharon the bag.

"Andy, what did you do?" Sharon asked him.

"Open it," Andy told Sharon as he smiled at her.

"Well, whatever it is, thank you. You didn't have to do that," Sharon told Andy as she patted the top of his hand.

"Actually, I kind of did," replied Andy as Sharon began opening the bag to reveal a Los Angeles Dodgers hat.

As Sharon took it out of the bag, she smiled at Andy as she said, "Thank you again, Andy. Look, now we match."

"Yeah, I guess we kind of do. That is until you look at the back," Andy told her amusedly.

"Should I be scared to turn this around?" Sharon asked him.

"Not really," replied Andy as he smiled at her mischievously.

Sharon burst out laughing as she read what Andy had gotten stitched on the back of the hat. Andy had gotten the hat personalized for her, but instead of it just saying Sharon Raydor on the back, it said Sharon "Bean Bag Gun" Raydor.

"Oh my god! That's great Andy! I'm surprised you even remembered that. It seems like so long ago now," said Sharon.

"Well, it was a memorable moment," Andy told Sharon as he smiled at her.

"Yeah. Admit it. That's when you really first started respecting me," said Sharon.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I will say that's when I began respecting your shooting skills. I sure as hell didn't want to end up at the wrong end of your gun," replied Andy.

Sharon chuckled at that for a moment before she smiled at Andy and said, "And look how far we've come since then."

"True. If anybody told me back then that I'd be sitting in Dodger Stadium watching a baseball game with you, I'd have laughed them out of the room," said Andy.

"And now?" Sharon asked him curiously.

"You're way better company than Provenza. He usually grumbles about the crowds and complains about how baseball has gone all to hell. Maybe I'll have to bring you to these games more often and leave his grumpy ass at home," replied Andy.

Sharon laughed at that and had to turn her head for fear that Andy might see her blushing. When she looked back at Andy, he was smiling at her. That's when she knew she was in trouble. Mostly because she couldn't help but smile back at him, but also because she could already tell that Andy's smile was going to be her weakness. When he smiled at her like that, it gave her more butterflies than she ever remembered feeling and if she was being honest, it kind of made her feel a little weak in the knees. Yes, she was definitely in trouble here. Maybe, just maybe, Andy Flynn was her kind of trouble though. She may not have all the answers right now, but Sharon did know she intended on eventually finding out if Andy Flynn was who she hadn't even known she was looking for. In a way, a lot of what she was currently feeling surprised her. Mostly because she hadn't gone looking for any of this in the first place. She chalked it up to life being full of surprises before turning her attention back to the game where the Dodgers eventually won 5 to 3 against the Diamondbacks.

Today was definitely a good day. The Dodgers won and she was spending the afternoon with her best friend on their day off. Sharon counted herself lucky. She had built an amazing life for herself with the possibility of it getting even more amazing once her divorce was finalized. She didn't know what the future held, but she was definitely excited to find out. 

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, leave a review to let me know what you thought of it. Also, just to let you know, it'll probably be a few weeks before I post the next chapter of this story. I'm currently trying to balance writing two multi chapter fics at once and I've decided to alternate between the two. So, I'll usually write and post 2-3 chapters for this fic (since the chapters tend to be shorter than in the other fic I'm working on) and then switch back to my other fic and write a chapter for that fic, etc. Anyways, thank you to everybody for their continued support of my stories and for everybody's continued patience as I navigate the crazy adventure that is being a fic writer.


	7. Enough

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated this fic! I was experiencing some serious writers block for a bit and then life got in the way as it tends to do sometimes. Anyways, I'm back now and plan on doing my best to update this fic more regularly. This chapter is a missing scene from, I'm gonna say, around October 2014. Right before they all head to The Nutcracker, when trying to clarify things for Nicole about Sharon and Andy and their "not dating" relationship, Rusty mentions, "…and the charity banquet at the Japanese American Museum…" It never really specifies when that charity banquet that Sharon and Andy went to took place, but I'm putting it around the middle of October. Anyways, enjoy!

 **Chapter 7: Enough**

Lately, it felt like the line between friendship and something more between them was getting even more blurred. Nothing necessarily romantic had happened between them, but it certainly had the potential of happening. They were spending more of their off time together, whether it was having dinner together or going to a movie or meeting for coffee or any other excuse for them to spend time together outside of work. That's how they'd arrived at the present situation.

The whole thing had kind of been last minute. It had been a long week with a tough case and Sharon was more than ready to unwind and have some fun. Except she had almost forgotten that she'd already committed to attending a charity event at the Japanese American Museum the following evening. It wasn't that she didn't want to go. She was always willing to support the arts in any way she could. She just didn't feel like going alone this time. She always went to these things alone and while there were usually plenty of people to talk with, something about going alone this time bothered her and made her feel slightly insecure in a way that made her feel ridiculous. As she was sitting in her office lost in these ridiculous thoughts, she heard a knock on her door. As she told whoever it was to come in, the door opened and Andy walked in.

"Hey. Here's my paperwork," Andy told her as he set the stack of papers in the inbox on Sharon's desk.

"Thanks," said Sharon as she smiled up at him.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend now that we're finally done with this case? Cause let's face it, we all could use a little fun after this case," said Andy.

"I was thinking the same thing. Except…" Sharon trailed off as she sighed.

"Except what?" Andy asked Sharon curiously.

"This is gonna sound really stupid," Sharon told him.

"I doubt it. Try me," said Andy.

"I'm supposed to go to this charity event tomorrow night at the Japanese American Museum and for some stupid reason, this time I'm feeling a little insecure about going alone. It's not like I haven't gone alone to these things a thousand times before. Stupid, I know," said Sharon.

"I don't think that's stupid, Sharon. When you're on your own, it can be hard going to social events like this where almost everyone else has a plus one. You feel weird. Like you don't fit in with everyone else or something. I get it," replied Andy.

"Yeah. I honestly don't get why I'm feeling this way about the whole thing though. Just forget I ever said anything," said Sharon.

"You know…I don't have anything going on tomorrow night. So, if it would make you feel better about it…I could go with you to this thing," suggested Andy.

"Andy, I can't ask you to give up your Saturday night just because I'm feeling insecure," said Sharon.

"It's not a big deal, Sharon. I didn't have plans tomorrow night anyways. Plus, it gives me the chance to return the favor you did me by being my buffer at Nicole's wedding," explained Andy.

"Are you sure, Andy? You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Sharon told him.

"I'm sure, Sharon. I promise. It's totally fine. What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" Andy asked her.

"It starts around eight. So, around 7:15pm?" Sharon asked.

"Sounds good. Black tie?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. Andy, thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me," Sharon told him.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow night," said Andy as he turned to walk out of Sharon's office.

"Okay. Goodnight," said Sharon.

"Goodnight," replied Andy as he exited Sharon's office and made his way back over to his desk in the murder room.

* * *

The following evening, as Sharon was finishing getting ready, she heard a knock on her front door.

"Rusty, can you get the door? It's probably Andy," said Sharon.

"Sure," replied Rusty as he went to answer the door.

Once Rusty opened the door, he saw Andy standing there nervously. Rusty swore Sharon and Andy were dating and just didn't know it yet. The two of them were always hanging out outside of work and now they were getting all dressed up to go to a charity event together. As just friends of course. At least that's what Sharon had told him. The simple fact that Sharon felt the need to clarify that point when he hadn't even asked about it proved to Rusty that there was definitely something going on between them. He chose to keep his mouth shut about that though and let the two of them figure that out for themselves.

"Hey Andy," said Rusty.

"Hey, Rusty. Is she almost ready?" Andy asked him.

"It might be a few minutes. You wanna come in?" Rusty asked him.

"Sure," replied Andy as Rusty moved to the side to let him enter the condo before he closed the door.

"So, big night, huh?" Rusty asked him.

"Yeah…" Andy trailed off as he looked past Rusty towards Sharon entering the living room.

Sharon was wearing a full length, dark green dress with lace cap sleeves. Her makeup was elegant yet understated and her hair was up in an elegant yet simple updo. This was something new for Andy. He wasn't used to seeing her all dressed up like this and if he was being honest, he was speechless when he saw her walk into the room. She looked stunning and Andy wasn't quite sure what to say or what would be appropriate to say given the situation. They were currently in this place where they were just friends, yet the line between friendship and the possibility of something more was becoming more blurred by the day. Nothing had happened, but the potential for it was sure as hell there.

Andy decided fairly neutral wording would be best in this situation and said to Sharon, "You look beautiful."

Sharon smiled and blushed slightly as she turned her head away for a moment before she turned her gaze back to Andy and smiled as she said, "You don't clean up half bad yourself."

At that point, Rusty felt like he was intruding on a moment between them or something. They were staring at each other like he wasn't even in the room.

Rusty politely cleared his throat before he said, "Well, you two have a good time. I've got some studying to do."

In that moment, Sharon snapped out of the daze she'd been in since she'd walked into the room and saw Andy. The way she was acting was ridiculous.

"Bye, Rusty. I'll see you in the morning," Sharon told him.

Rusty turned around and began walking down the hallway and replied, "Yeah. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," replied Sharon before Rusty shut his bedroom door.

Once she turned back towards Andy, he asked her, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," replied Sharon as they left the condo and headed for the elevator.

* * *

Once they got to the Japanese American Museum, they made small talk with a few people Sharon had met at past events before Gavin spotted Sharon from across the room. When he noticed Sharon wasn't alone, he gave Sharon a look before he made his way over to them.

"Lieutenant Flynn, what a surprise," said Gavin with a hint of sarcasm directed at Sharon as he gave her a knowing look.

"Good to see you again, Gavin," Andy told him.

"You as well. Sharon didn't tell me she was bringing you tonight," said Gavin.

"That's because it was all a little last minute Gavin," Sharon told him as she gave him a somewhat pointed look.

Andy, sensing Sharon needed to speak with Gavin, offered to go get himself and Sharon something to drink.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sharon asked Gavin.

"What am I doing? Oh, honey. You're the one that brought a date with you tonight," said Gavin.

"It's not a date," replied Sharon.

"Sharon, you can't be serious. I mean look at you," Gavin pointed out.

"What about me?" Sharon asked him.

"You're wearing a beautiful dress. Your makeup and hair are flawless. You were so dressing for that man tonight," Gavin told her.

"I was not. I've had this dress for two weeks. Plus, like I told you, all of this was last minute. I didn't even know he was coming with me until last night," Sharon told him.

"How did that happen?" Gavin asked curiously.

"I am so not getting into this with you right now," Sharon told him.

"Let's see. I think it went a little something like this. You guys were talking and you casually mentioned that you were coming here tonight and then you casually asked him if he'd like to come with you and he said yes because neither of you can stay away from each other for too long. Oh, and there's the small fact that the two of you like each other. A lot. So much in fact that you seem to be spending a lot of your free time hanging out together lately. Come on, Sharon. This is me you're talking to. You can't honestly tell me that I'm wrong here. The signs are pretty clear," said Gavin.

"First of all, you're wrong about that first part. I didn't ask him to come with me tonight. He offered," Sharon told Gavin proudly.

"Oh, honey. Your face right now just told me everything. This is how it always begins. You basically invited yourself to his daughter's wedding. He basically invited himself here tonight because he wants to spend time with you. There's a pretty clear pattern here," Gavin pointed out.

"First off, neither of those is true. Nobody basically invited themselves anywhere. Andy's here as a friend. That's all," Sharon explained.

"I noticed you didn't bother to deny that second part," Gavin pointed out.

Sharon sighed and rolled her eyes at Gavin before she said, "It's complicated. On so many levels."

"Like?" Gavin asked Sharon.

"Well, for starters, I'm still technically married," Sharon told him.

"Oh, you mean to that deadbeat who you've been legally separated from for over 20 years and who you're nearly divorced from. That jackass has so much bad karma coming his way it would serve him right if you found someone else before you were even divorced," said Gavin.

"Yes, but unlike some people I actually have a moral compass. Even if my soon to be ex-husband is a deadbeat. Plus, Andy respects me enough not to try anything while I'm still married and that's if he even wants to in the first place," said Sharon.

"Oh, he wants to, honey. That much is pretty clear," replied Gavin.

"Well, whatever the case may be, we're done talking about it because he's on his way back over here," Sharon told Gavin.

"Okay. I'll see you later. Have fun with your lieutenant," Gavin told Sharon as he kissed her cheek before heading off to mingle with other people at the event.

Sharon rolled her eyes at Gavin's back as Andy made his back over to her. He handed her a glass of white wine as he sipped on his club soda.

"Everything, okay?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah. Just Gavin being Gavin. That's all," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

* * *

Later on in the evening, many of the couples in attendance began making their way onto the dance floor as the music began playing. Andy looked over at Sharon, nervously trying to decide what to do. Asking her to dance shouldn't be this awkward, but it was and he knew exactly why it was awkward. He had feelings for his best friend. Feelings that definitely went beyond friendship. It also didn't help that she looked absolutely stunning tonight. Not that she didn't look beautiful to him every other day he saw her. If he was being honest, Sharon's beauty intimidated him a little bit. Despite all these thoughts running through his head, Andy decided to put all that aside and ask her.

"Would you like to dance?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Sure. If I remember correctly, you're not too bad of a dancer," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him.

"I'm just grateful it's all classical this time. That way I don't have to worry about awkward timing," replied Andy as he extended his arm for Sharon to loop her arm around as he escorted her to the dance floor.

As they arrived in the middle of the dance floor, Andy placed one of his hands against Sharon's side and took her hand with his other hand as they began dancing. If Sharon was being honest, her breath had hitched slightly when she felt Andy rest his hand against her side. The contact felt nice and it surprised Sharon that the simple touch of Andy's hand against her side could affect her this much. As they continued dancing, Sharon's mind began to drift slightly as she began to think of what else Andy's hands were capable of making her feel. She quickly chased those thoughts away when she realized Andy was talking to her.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"I said so much for no awkward timing," replied Andy.

"Why?" Sharon asked him.

"Look around. Everybody's staring at us," Andy told her.

Rather than have the moment feel awkward, Sharon said, "They're probably admiring your excellent dancing skills."

Andy laughed at that before he said, "Nah. My dancing skills aren't that impressive. They're probably admiring the beautiful dress you're wearing."

Sharon blushed slightly before she asked, "Are they still staring?"

"Yeah. If any of this is making you feel uncomfortable, we can always-" began Andy before Sharon cut him off.

Sharon looked at Andy as she said, "No. Let them stare. I was promised a dance and I intend to finish it."

Andy smiled at Sharon's boldness and said, "Okay."

* * *

After Sharon and Andy finished their dance and stepped off the dance floor, Andy said, "It's getting late. I should probably get you home."

"Yeah. These things never have good desserts anyway," Sharon told him.

Andy, knowing how much Sharon loved dessert, said, "Well, there aren't very many options at almost 11 o'clock at night, but I happen to know a place that serves the best chocolate milkshakes around. So, if you want, we could…"

"You know how much I love chocolate. Let's go," Sharon told him.

* * *

When they arrived at the diner, Sharon sat there smiling for a moment before she started laughing.

"What? It's a diner," said Andy.

"It's not that. It's just…" Sharon trailed off before she burst into another fit of laughter.

"I don't get what's so funny about this," Andy told her.

Once Sharon regained her composure, she said, "Look at us, Andy. We're in black tie attire and we're going to a diner. Don't you find that the least bit ironic?"

"Okay, I'll admit that's a little strange, but it's almost midnight in LA. I doubt two people dressed up in fancy clothes are the strangest thing they've ever seen. Besides, I know the owner. He's been running this place for over almost forty years and has told me way weirder stories than this," replied Andy.

"Let's go, then. I believe I was promised the best chocolate milkshake around. Gotta see if it lives up to the hype," said Sharon as she got out of the car.

Andy followed her and held the door open for her as they entered the diner.

As the owner saw Andy enter the diner, he exclaimed, "Andy! Long time no see!"

"Yeah, the dirtbags of LA have been keeping me pretty busy lately. How it going, Pat?" Andy asked him.

"Can't complain. Business is going good, family's great. How about you?" Pat asked.

"The kids are good. Working hard. Especially Nicole. She's got two stepsons now to keep her on her toes," replied Andy.

"That's great. Are you gonna introduce me to your friend here or do I have to introduce myself?" Pat asked him.

"Oh, sorry. Pat, this is Captain Sharon Raydor. Sharon, this is Pat, the owner of this place," said Andy.

"Nice to meet you, Pat," said Sharon as she extended her hand out to him.

"You too. Captain, huh? Does that mean you're in charge of keeping this guy outta trouble?" Pat asked as he shook Sharon's hand.

"Afraid so. At least for the past few years. Not sure how much good it does sometimes," replied Sharon.

"Well, this guy needs someone to keep him on the straight and narrow sometimes. So, you just keep doing whatever you're doing to keep him in line," said Pat.

"Duly noted," replied Sharon as she looked over at Andy.

"So, what brings you guys in here tonight?" Pat asked them.

"Well, Sharon here has a penchant for chocolate and I told her you serve the best chocolate milkshake around. So, don't make me look like a fool," Andy joked.

"I got you covered. Two?" Pat asked Andy.

"Yeah. Thanks, Pat," replied Andy as Pat walked away to begin making their chocolate milkshakes.

Meanwhile, Andy and Sharon made their way over to a table and sat down.

"I gotta take these heels off. My feet are killing me," said Sharon as she removed her shoes and set her feet on the side of the bench Andy wasn't occupying across from her.

"I honestly don't get how you walk in those things all day," Andy commented.

"I don't wear them all day," Sharon told him.

"Practically," replied Andy.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret since you're insisting I wear them all day," Sharon told him.

"And what would that be?" Andy asked.

"I usually take them off when I'm sitting at my desk," Sharon admitted.

Andy smiled at that.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"Nothing. Just funny. That's all," replied Andy.

In reality, he thought the whole thing was really cute, but it's not like he could just say that to her.

"Well then, funny guy, since you find this so amusing, what's your best kept secret?" Sharon asked him.

"I think you know pretty much all of my secrets," replied Andy.

"Come on, Andy. There's gotta be something I don't know about you," said Sharon.

"Okay. Umm… I still have that bean bag in my desk drawer," Andy told her.

Sharon was silent for a moment and her expression was virtually unreadable.

Andy was afraid he's said the wrong thing and told Sharon, "Sharon, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No. Don't apologize, Andy. It's fine. In fact, it's kind of sweet that you've kept it all these years," Sharon told Andy as she rested her hand on top of his to reassure him.

"Really?" asked Andy surprisingly.

"Yeah. Doesn't really surprise me though. That totally sounds like something you'd do," replied Sharon.

"What do you mean?" Andy asked her.

"You're a good guy, Andy. You may have a bit of a temper sometimes, but underneath all of that, you're a big teddy bear," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy and patted the top of his hand before realizing she should probably remove her hand from his now.

Just then, Pat walked over to their table with two chocolate milkshakes.

He set them down in front of them before he said, "Two chocolate milkshakes. Hey, Andy. I forgot to ask you. What's with the penguin suit? Are you some big shot down at the LAPD now?"

"Nah. Too much paperwork. Just escorting this beautiful woman to a charity event earlier," Andy told Pat as he looked across the table at Sharon.

Sharon smiled at Andy's compliment before she heard Pat tell him, "You better hold on to this one, Andy. She keeps you in line and she's a beauty. That doesn't come along every day. Especially in LA."

"Oh no-" Andy stuttered.

"We're not-" Sharon gestured.

"A couple," Andy finished for her.

"Just very good friends," Sharon added for good measure as she smiled up at Pat.

"Uh huh. You guys keep telling yourselves that. Shakes are on me," Pat told them as he started to walk away.

"Pat, wait," Andy told him.

"Andy, what do I tell you every time you come in here?" Pat asked him.

Good cops never pay in your restaurant," replied Andy.

"That's right. You two have a good night," Pat told them as he walked away from them and went behind the counter to tend to another customer.

"Andy…" Sharon trailed off.

"Sharon, look at me," Andy told her.

As Sharon made eye contact with Andy, he motioned between them and said, "This. It's not an issue for me right now. There's obviously something else going on here, but I also realize that the timing is pretty crappy. I completely respect the fact that you're still technically married to that jackass and I totally get that none of whatever this is between us can even be acknowledged, let alone acted upon, until after your divorce is final. I wouldn't want it to happen before then anyway. I don't mind waiting."

"Andy…I can't ask you to do that. It's not fair to you to have to wait for something that may or may not happen right after my divorce is final. I'm not sure when I'll be ready to take that step forward," Sharon told him.

"You're not asking me to do anything, Sharon. Like I said. I don't mind waiting. Whether that means 5 days or 5 years. You're worth it. Which is something I have a feeling you don't hear nearly enough," said Andy as he ran his thumb along the top of Sharon's hand.

"Okay," replied Sharon as she patted the top of Andy's hand.

"Oh, and one more thing. If anything like me touching the top of your hand or holding your gaze a little too long or the flirting we've been doing lately makes you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. I can take it. My goal isn't to make you feel uncomfortable in any way," Andy told her.

"Same goes for you. If at any point you decide this is too much for you, I want you to be honest with me about it. Don't worry about hurting me. I'll be alright. I always am. Currently though, I'm enjoying spending time with you. Even if the situation isn't ideal at the moment," Sharon told Andy.

"I enjoy spending time with you, too. So, for now, let's keep enjoying spending time together and see where that takes us," said Andy.

"Okay," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

Andy smiled back at Sharon before they each took a sip of their chocolate milkshakes. Neither of them knew what the future would hold, but just acknowledging that there was in fact something going on between them seemed to put both of them a little more at ease with each other. For now, simply spending time together would have to be enough.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of this story as well as my other fics! Your support truly means a lot to me. So, thank you!


	8. My Best Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: I apologize for the lack of updates on this story lately. Life got in the way a bit as it tends to do sometimes. Anyways, I'm excited to finally be posting a new chapter for you guys! Enjoy! 

**Chapter 8: My Best Friend**

It was now the middle of November. Sharon and the team had spent the day catching up on paperwork after wrapping up their latest case the day before. Andy had noticed that Sharon had been unusually quiet all day. So, as he knocked on her office door to turn in his paperwork, he decided he would check on her to make sure she was okay. A moment later, Andy heard Sharon tell him to come in.

"Hey," said Andy as he set the stack of papers in the inbox on Sharon's desk.

"Hey," replied Sharon with a tired smile.

"Umm…listen, I'm not trying to pry, but you've been really quiet all day. Is everything okay?" Andy asked her concernedly.

"Yeah. It will be. It's just been a weird day, that's all. My lawyer called this morning to let me know my divorce was final," replied Sharon.

In all honesty, Andy wasn't sure how to respond to that. He knew Sharon was probably relieved to finally be rid of Jack, but at the same time, divorce was a tricky thing. It had a way of making a person very reflective, which could bring up all kinds of emotions, especially in Sharon's case. Therefore, he wasn't quite sure what he should say to her. He knew he had to say something though, so he said, "Wow. That's big news."

"Yeah. Sorry if I haven't been my usual self today," said Sharon.

"Sharon, you have nothing to apologize for. It's a big day. I was just worried about you. That's all," Andy told her.

"Thanks. I appreciate that," replied Sharon.

"Well, I'm only a phone call away if you wanna talk about it," Andy told Sharon as he turned to leave her office.

"Andy?" Sharon called after him.

"Yeah?" Andy asked her.

"Thank you," Sharon told him sincerely.

"Anytime," replied Andy as he smiled at Sharon before closing the door to her office and making his way back to the murder room.

Andy quickly grabbed his jacket, wallet, and keys before leaving the PAB for the night. He wasn't sure if he should be the one keeping Sharon company tonight, but he knew he didn't want her to be alone. So, after he got off the elevator and made his way out of the PAB, he dialed the number of a certain DDA who he knew along with a certain lawyer friend of Sharon's would do their best to try and take her mind off things for a while.

* * *

About half an hour later, Sharon heard a knock on her office door. She was a bit confused as she knew the team had probably already left for the night. Regardless of that, she told whoever it was to come in. When the door opened, she was a little surprised to see Andrea walk into her office.

"If that can wait until tomorrow, you are getting your purse and we're gonna go meet Gavin at Vinoteca Farfalla," Andrea told her.

"What?" Sharon asked confusedly.

"A little birdy told me you were in need of some fun tonight," Andrea explained.

"I'm gonna kill him," said Sharon.

"No you won't," replied Andrea knowingly.

"Why the hell not?" Sharon asked.

Andrea fixed Sharon with a pointed look before she said, "Really? Come on, let's go."

Sharon sighed before she said, "Okay. One glass."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Sharon and Andrea arrived at the trendy wine bar Andrea had insisted they were going to. They saw Gavin had already gotten a table and made their way towards him.

"Oh, honey. How are you doing?" Gavin asked Sharon concernedly.

"I'm fine, Gavin. It's not like it wasn't heading this direction for a long time anyways," replied Sharon.

"Well, as they say, onto the next," said Gavin.

"I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet," Sharon told him.

"What about your silver fox?" Gavin asked her.

"For the last time, nothing is going on with that. We're just friends," said Sharon.

"Oh, Sharon. You seriously can't tell me nothing's going on. About a month ago, you told me it was complicated. From what I saw at the charity banquet, it didn't look all that complicated," Gavin told her.

"Wait, you took Andy with you to the charity banquet at the Japanese American Museum?" Andrea asked Sharon.

"Yep and they looked pretty cozy on the dance floor together," Gavin gushed to Andrea.

"Damn Sharon! Get it girl! Ink's barely dry and you've already found someone else. Serves that asshole right," Andrea told her.

"First of all, nobody's getting anything right now. Plus, lczike I told Gavin, it's complicated," Sharon explained.

"Doesn't seem that damn complicated to me. Especially given all the laughing and smiling the two of you were doing that night on the dance floor. Everybody's eyes were literally glued to the two of you," Gavin told her.

"What?" Andrea asked Gavin prying for more details.

The two of them continued speculating about Sharon's love life as Sharon flagged down a waiter and ordered a glass of red wine. Something told her she was going to need it tonight. Sharon ended up staying at the wine bar for another hour before she decided to say her goodbyes to Gavin and Andrea. Once Sharon started her car and began driving off towards her condo, she decided there was one more place she needed to go first and with that she made her way towards the freeway, got onto Interstate 5, and began making her way towards Valencia.

* * *

About 35 minutes later, Sharon pulled up in front of Andy's house. She wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to get on the freeway and drive all the way out to Andy's house in Valencia. Nevertheless, she got out of her car and made her way towards Andy's front door. Once she got there, she knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal Andy standing in the doorway in a pair of black sweatpants and an LAPD t-shirt.

"Hey," Andy greeted Sharon.

"Hey. I didn't wake you, did I?" Sharon asked as she realized it was past 10pm.

"Nah. I just got back from the gym about an hour ago. Just been hanging out watching TV since then. You wanna come in?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah," replied Sharon as Andy moved out of the way to let her inside before closing the door.

"You want something to drink?" Andy asked Sharon as he headed towards the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"Water's fine. Thanks," replied Sharon as Andy handed her a water bottle and grabbed one for himself.

"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier in my office. I wasn't trying to push you away. Like I said, it's been a weird day," Sharon told Andy.

"Sharon, for the last time, stop apologizing. I completely understand. Divorce can be a tricky thing sometimes. It has this nasty habit of making people reflect on things, which can bring up all kinds of different emotions. Especially in your case. Don't worry about it. Besides, I probably wasn't making it any better by acting all weird earlier," said Andy.

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked him.

"I wanna be there for you when you need me, but I don't want to hover and the last thing I wanna do is do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Earlier, when you told me your divorce was final, I wasn't sure how to respond and I got a little weird about it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm willing to wait as long as it takes until you're comfortable defining and moving forward with whatever this is between us. I just need to know where your boundaries lie when it comes to all of this. Before, when you were still married, there was this line that we both knew not to cross. Now that that's no longer there, I'm…" Andy trailed off.

"Confused?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah and I don't know how to phrase this next part without sounding like a huge jerk," replied Andy.

"We're talking about physical boundaries here, right?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm pushing too much, aren't I? Forget it. It's a stupid question," Andy told her.

"Andy that's not a stupid question. In fact, it's a perfectly valid one. I get what you're saying about there being a line neither of us were willing to cross before and how that's no longer an issue. I see why you'd be confused as to how to proceed with the current situation. Umm…can I make a confession before I answer that?" Sharon asked Andy with an awkward smile as she stared at the floor.

"Yeah," replied Andy as he put two fingers under Sharon's chin to raise her head up until their eyes met and Andy smiled reassuringly at her.

"Along with you touching the top of my hand and both of us looking at each other a little too long to be just friends, I really enjoy flirting with you," Sharon told Andy as she chuckled nervously.

"I'm glad. Cause I really enjoy flirting with you too," replied Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

"To answer your question, in addition to what we've been doing, I wouldn't object if you decided you wanted to hug me or kiss my cheek," Sharon told Andy flirtatiously.

"Huh. I'll have to remember that," replied Andy as he rubbed his thumb along the top of Sharon's hand.

Sharon looked up at Andy and smiled at him.

"Sharon, can I ask you a question?" Andy asked her.

"Of course," replied Sharon.

"Why did you decide to drive all the way out here tonight? It's not like it's a short drive from LA, especially with traffic," Andy pointed out.

"I was on my way home and I realized that I missed my best friend," Sharon told Andy as her eyes met his.

"I missed you today too. Once I found out why you had been so quiet today, I wasn't sure if I should be the one keeping you company tonight," said Andy.

"Which is why you enlisted reinforcements," said Sharon knowingly.

"I may have made a phone call on my way out of the PAB. I just didn't want you to be alone tonight," Andy admitted.

"I told Andrea earlier that I was gonna kill you for that. I didn't mean it though. It was really sweet of you actually," Sharon told Andy.

"How did it go?" Andy asked her.

"It was alright. Those two are certainly the ones you call when you need a distraction. I missed being able to talk to my best friend though," Sharon admitted.

"Well, I'm here now. How about I make us some coffee?" Andy asked.

"Okay," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

Andy walked into the kitchen to start brewing the coffee. Sharon followed him and sat on one of the barstools in Andy's kitchen.

"It's weird. I should be glad this whole mess is over and I am, but a part of me is also sad too," said Sharon.

"That's not weird, Sharon. In fact, I think that's pretty normal given the circumstances," Andy told her.

"Meaning?" Sharon asked Andy curiously.

"I think it's perfectly normal that a part of you is feeling sad and emotional about all of this. I mean you were married to the guy for almost thirty years and you do have two children with him. I won't pretend that I like the guy because I don't. He's hurt you a lot and that really upsets me. Despite that though, he was a big part of your life for a long time, even when he wasn't physically present in it," said Andy.

"Yeah. Thanks," said Sharon as Andy handed her a cup of coffee

"Also, knowing you pretty well at this point, you're probably feeling like you've failed in some way and I'm here to tell you that that is completely untrue. You stayed married to him and held out hope that he would get sober for far longer than most women would have. Not only that, but every time he left, you picked up the pieces and held what was left of your fractured family together. You pretty much raised Ricky and Emily on your own and from what I've seen, they're happy, healthy, and functional adults. So, the way I see it, the last thing you have done in this situation is failed," Andy told Sharon.

Sharon smiled and chuckled slightly before she asked Andy, "How do you do that?"

"What?" Andy asked her.

"How do you manage to know exactly how I'm feeling and know just what to say to make me feel better?" Sharon asked Andy.

"It's a skill," replied Andy jokingly.

Sharon fixed Andy with a look that told him she was serious. Andy set his hand on top of Sharon's and rubbed his thumb along the top of it before he said, "Like I said, I know you pretty well by now. I guess I'm starting to pick up on the more subtle aspects of your personality."

At that, Sharon smiled at Andy before she rubbed the thumb of her other hand along the top of Andy's hand and said, "Well, whatever it is, I like it."

At that, Andy locked eyes with Sharon and they stared into each other's eyes longer than usual. Not wanting to make things awkward and not wanting Sharon to leave just yet, Andy asked, "You wanna stay for a while and watch a movie?"

"Yeah. What are we watching?" Sharon asked Andy.

"I'll leave that decision up to you," replied Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

Sharon smiled back at Andy before she got up from the barstool and made her way over to the small bookshelf in Andy's living room where he kept his DVD's. She scanned the shelves for a couple minutes before she pulled one off the shelf and held it up as she said, "Oh my god. How did I not know you had this movie until now?"

"I'm full of surprises. Apparently, you are too. I never would've pegged you as the Dances with Wolves type," replied Andy.

Sharon smiled at Andy before she said, "It's a great movie. I love the love story the most though."

"You wanna watch it?" Andy asked as he smiled at Sharon.

"Sure. It's kind of long though," Sharon pointed out.

"It's alright. If you get tired or fall asleep before it's over, you can always stay in the guest room," Andy offered.

"Okay. Let's watch it," replied Sharon.

* * *

They'd started out sitting a comfortable distance from each other on the couch, but about an hour and a half into the movie, Sharon had shifted a little closer to Andy, while still keeping somewhat of a reasonable distance between them.

Then, about an hour after that, Andy felt Sharon's head lean against his shoulder as she continued watching the movie.

"Sharon?" Andy asked.

"Hmm?" Sharon asked Andy.

"You realize your head is on my shoulder, right?" Andy asked her.

"Uh huh. Do you want me to move it?" Sharon asked him flirtatiously.

"No. I mean not if you don't want to. I just want to make sure this is what you want and isn't something you're going to regret tomorrow," replied Andy.

Just then, Sharon sat up and looked over at Andy before she said, "Andy, this isn't something I'm going to wake up tomorrow and regret. Being here with you isn't something I'm going to regret. Just like I don't regret meeting you for coffee on the Sunday mornings when we don't have a case or going to that Dodger game together or bringing you with me to that charity banquet at the Japanese American Museum or sitting in Pat's diner for hours afterwards talking with you while we drank chocolate milkshakes. I like you, but more than that, I respect you and the feelings we both have wrapped up in this…mutual admiration we have for each other. So, if I do something like lay my head on your shoulder it's done with intention and is in no way designed to lead you on. For right now, this feels nice. We'll see where things go from here. Okay?" Sharon asked Andy.

"Okay. I just wanted to check in and make sure you were comfortable with this," Andy explained.

As Sharon returned to leaning her head against Andy's shoulder she smiled and said, "I am. Very comfortable, in fact."

Andy smiled at that before he asked, "Well, since you're so comfortable, would you mind if I let my hand rest against your shoulder while we watch the rest of the movie?"

"No. In fact, I'd like that very much," replied Sharon as she looked up and smiled at Andy before she turned her attention back to the movie as he slid his arm around Sharon and rested his hand against her shoulder.

* * *

A couple hours later, as the credits were rolling, Andy looked over at Sharon and realized she was asleep on his shoulder. He ran his fingertips along Sharon's upper arm in an attempt to wake her as he said, "Sharon."

"Mmhmm that feels nice," Sharon mumbled in her sleep as she adjusted her position and turned her face towards Andy's neck.

Not wanting Sharon to feel awkward when she woke up, Andy slowly sat up and gently shook her shoulders in an attempt to rouse her. When Sharon slowly began opening her eyes, Andy smiled at her. Sharon began rubbing at her eyes before she asked, "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how long you were out. I looked over at you when the movie was over and you were asleep," explained Andy.

"Well, that's awkward," said Sharon.

"Sharon, it's two thirty in the morning. Most normal people are asleep at this hour. Come on. You can sleep in the guest room," said Andy as he stood to help her up from the couch.

Sharon got up from the couch and began following Andy down the hallway. When they arrived at the point where they would go their separate ways, Sharon grabbed Andy's hand and squeezed it before she said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Andy asked her curiously.

"For not letting me be alone tonight. I didn't know I needed that, but somehow you did," replied Sharon as she let go of Andy's hand and smiled at him.

Andy smiled back at Sharon before he said, "Glad I could help."

"Me too," replied Sharon as her and Andy stood there staring into each other's eyes.

"Well, goodnight," Andy told Sharon as he leaned over and lightly touched her upper arm with his hand as he placed a kiss against her cheek before resuming their previous proximity.

As Andy's lips left her cheek, Sharon smiled at him as she said a bit breathlessly, "Goodnight."

They stood there staring at each other for another minute before Sharon pointed at the door to the guest room and said, "Well, I'm just gonna..."

"Yeah. Me too," replied Andy as the both turned to go into their separate rooms.

* * *

As Andy lay in bed that night, so many different questions were running through his mind. What would it be like to actually kiss Sharon? To bury his hands in her hair? To whisper sweet nothings in her ear letting her know just how much he cared about her, or even better, to be given the opportunity to show her? Andy didn't remember ever feeling this way before, but if there was anything he was certain of in this whole situation, it was this: He was completely smitten with Sharon Raydor.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the hall, Sharon couldn't seem to calm the butterflies in her stomach. It had just been a feather light kiss on her cheek, but somehow it was awakening feelings in her she'd almost forgot existed. Feelings she wasn't sure she could hold back much longer. If a simple kiss on the cheek did this to her, she could only imagine what Andy's lips could do to her under more passionate circumstances, not to mention what his hands were capable of making her feel if given the chance to roam freely over her body. She quickly tried to chase those thoughts away, but nevertheless the huge smile that had formed at just the thought of it didn't seem to fade and as she drifted off to sleep that night, Sharon could help but think that more and more, one of the main reasons she found herself smiling so much these days was because of the man whose guest room she happened to be sleeping in tonight. A man with whom she had initially started out as enemies with all those years ago. A man who years later would come into her life as a friend when she needed one most. A man who had somehow found a way into her life and now it seemed her heart as well. Somehow, Andy had broken past her defenses when she wasn't even looking and now that he had, Sharon was again questioning why she had waited so long before divorcing her now ex-husband, but more than that, why she had decided keeping Andy at arm's length for so long was ever a good idea. 

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of this story as well as my other fics! Your support really means a lot to me.


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